Paper feeding device for writing machines



Mai-ch l, 1938. J. SHERM AN PAPER FEEDING DEVICE FOR WRITING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29, 1932 March 1, 1938. J. Q. SHERMAN PAPER FEEDING DEVICE FOR WRITING MACHINES Filed July 29, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l ATTORN EY Q March 1, 1938. J. Q. SHERMAN PAPER FEEDING DEVICE FOR WRITING MACHINES Fild July 29, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PAPER FEEDING DEVICE FOR, WRITING MACHINES John Q. Sherman, Dayton, Ohio Application July 29, 1932, Serial No. 625,931

15 Claims.

This invention relates to writing machines, and more particularly to friction feeding means for the record material adapted to automatically arrest the advanceof such material when a predeterminedlength thereof has been fed.- and for assuring registry of superposed record forms preparatory to the succeeding writing operation.

In the present embodiment of the invention, two friction feed devices alternately co-operate with a platen roller, one of which is operative until a predetermined length of material is advanced whereupon it becomes inoperative until the material is given a further advance movement independently of such feeding means by the operation of the second feeding device, which having again established operative relation of the first feeding means and record material automatically relinquishes its control of the material. The object of the invention is to simplify the construction, as well as the means and mode of operation of feeding means for writing machines adapted for feeding record material in prede termined lengths, whereby such devices will not only be cheap in construction, but will be efiicient in use, automatic in action, uniform in operation, easily controlled and unlikely to get out of repair.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide means for automatically arresting the advance movement of record material through a writing machine when such material has been advanced to predetermined extent.

A further object of the invention is to provide in association with intermittent record material feeding means easily operated control means for initiating the operation of such feeding means.

A further object of the invention is to provide alternately operable feeding means for record material. I

0 A further object of the invention is to provide intermittently operable feeding means for the record material and means for initiating such feeding operation.

' A further object of the invention is to provide feeding means for record material adapted to automatically become inoperative when the material has been advanced a predetermined degree and to thereafter automatically return to initial position preparatory to'the next feeding operation.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view, as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof, and the mode of operation, or their equivalents, as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown the preferred but obviously not necessarily the only form of the embodiment of 5 the invention, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional form of typewriter to which the present invention has been applied. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the traveling carriage of the typewriter upon which is mounted the con- 10 ventional platen roll and the particular frictionfeed devices forming the subject matter hereof. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the parts in an alternative position. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the platen roll or cylinder removed from the 15 writing machine and a portion of the frictionfeed devices associated therewith. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the record material. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a different typewriter employing strip or ribbon carbon or trans- 20 fer material in lieu of sheet material. Figs. v7 and 8 are detail views illustrating the method of advancing the platen roll of the writing machine illustrated in Fig. 6

Like parts are indicated by similarcharacters 25 of reference throughout the several views.

In the drawings, lis a conventional form of typewriter of which 2 is the traveling carriage and 3 the revoluble platen roll mounted therein about which record material in interconnected 30 sheet or strip form is fed from a traveling paper supply carrier 5 connected to and traveling in unison with the reciprocatory writing machine carriage 2. The platen roll 3 is operated by the customary line spacing mechanism upon manual 35 operation of the usual lever 6. Likewise tne platen roller may be rotated manually by the usual knobs 6a carried upon the extremities of the platen roll shaft.

Co-operating with the platen roller 3 to ad- 0 vance the record materia1 4 thereabout, are friction rollers I rotatively mounted upon atransverse shaft 8 carried by swinging arms 9 pivoted upon the frame rod l0 of the reciprocatory writing machine carriage. The swinging arms 9 are 45 subjected to spring tension by springs II which tendto turn the arms 9 toward the platen roller 3 and thereby cause the small friction rollers I to bear firmly upon the record material 4' passing between such rollers I and the platen roll 50 3 of the writing machine.

The record material 4 is provided at spaced intervals with holes l2 located in the path ortra-ck of the friction rollers I. These holes l2 are preferably, though not necessarily, located adjacent to' the advance edges of succeeding interconnected sheets of record material. The record material may be provided with additional holes I2a for filing purposes as illustrated in the drawings but which perform no functionin relation with the present feeding means. As the platen roller 3 is rotated, either by the terminal knobsor by actuation of the usual line spacing mechanism, the record v material 4 is progressively advanced thereabout byxthe frictional feeding action of the rollers I which bear upon the record material 4 holding it closely in contact with the 'revoluble cylinder or platen roll 3. This advance movement will continue so long as the rollers I frictionally engage the record material. However, when in the progress ofthe material about the platen roll 3, the holes I2 register with the rollers I so that the rollers I no longer engage the record material but contact the platen roller 3 through the holes I2 the advance movement of the record material 4 will be arrested. Any further rotation of the platen roller 3 will effect merely idle rotation of the rollers I due to their frictional contact directly with the platen roller 3 through the holes I2. Thus the feeding rollers 1 become inoperative to further advance the record material. While the arresting holes I2 may be variously located throughout the lengths of the material, always, however, within the track or path of the rollers 1, such holes are preferably located at the extremity of the predetermined sections or interconnected sheets of record material so that the advance of the material is automatic'ally arrested at the completion of each writing operation. If during the advance movement of the material, the superposed forms shall have become slightly disarranged so that the holes I2 in underlying sheets or strips of record material do not exactly register, the rollers I engaging such slightly offset underlying sheets or strips through the holes I2 in the overlying sheets or strips will tend to effect an independent feeding movement or relative adjustment of such underlying offset strips or sheets until the holes l2 therein exactly register with the friction rollers I and with the corresponding holes in the overlying strips. This insures an automatic readjustment and registry of superposed forms preparatoryto each succeed- :ing writing operation.

In order that the pressure arms 9 may be held in inoperative position with the rollers I elevated out of contact with the record material 4 while arranging the latter about the platen roll, one of friction roller I, means must be provided for givthe arms 9 is provided with a shoulder I3 to be engaged by a detent I 4 when the arm 9 is elevated. The detent I4 is provided with a trip finger I5 by which the detent may be disengaged from the shoulder toipermihthe return of the pressure arms 9 and friction rollers I to operative relation. The advance of the record material 4 being arrested when a hole. I! comes in registry with a ing to the record material an initial advance movement sufficient, to carry the holes I2 beyond the rollers I thereby permitting the rollers I to again operatively engage with the material 4. It

is customary to provide beneath the platen roller 3 of the ordinary typewriter, a pair of auxiliary f friction rollers which co-operate with the platen roller toadvance the record material and which are adjustable into and out of'operative relation by means of a finger trip lever I6 connected by a link II with the-mounting devices of-such auxiliary' friction rollers. In the present construction. the same control and, mounting means is utilized but in lieu of the usual friction rollers beneath the platen roller 3 there is employed in the present instance segments I8 which are movable into and out of operative relation with the platen roll 3 by the oscillation of the finger trip lever I6. These segments I8 aremounted for rotation in onedirectiorr under driving influence of the rotary platen roller 3 when contacting therewith or with the record material 4 interposed between such segments and the platen roll as is shown in Fig. 2. The segments I8 will thus be given a partial rotation from the solid line position to the dotted line positions shown in Fig. 2. That is to say, the segments I8 will be given an oscillatory movement commensurate with their peripheral extent, during which movement the interposed record material 4.will be correspondingly advanced. In their advanced position, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, these auxiliary record material feeding segments I8 will no longer have frictional feeding engagement with the material or with the platen roller 3 and the material will-be free to advance independentlythereof under the influence of the rollers I which will then again have operative engagement with the record material 4, the arresting holes I2 of which will have been advanced beyond the friction rollers I by the action of the segments 18.

The auxiliary segments I8 willtemporarily remain idle in their advanced positions, indicated by dotted lines in'Fig. 2. At the end of the writing operation when the advance of the record material has been again arrested by the registry of the arresting holes I2 with the friction rollers I, and it is again necessary to initiate the advance feeding movement of the material, the trip lever I6 is depressed to the position shown in Fig. 3 thereby adjusting the segment mounting means to move the segments I8 away from the platen roll 3 in quite the same manner that the ordinary and conventional form of friction rollers are adjusted in the usual typewriter to release the writtended sleeves I9 are of less diameter than the segments I8, they serve to overbalance such segments I8 and when the latter are disengaged from the platen roll 3 by depression of the finger lever I6, the segments I8 will be returned automatically to their initial position, shown by solid lines in Figs. 2 and 3,-by gravity. They are then ready for repetition of their initial feeding action upon return of the finger lever I 6 to its upper position, shown in Fig. 2, by which the segments are again presented in frictional contact relation with the platen roll 3 and the writing material interposed between the segments and roll. -Thus in the operation of the device,

.II a

whenever the record material 4 comes to rest I sufficient to move the arresting holes l2 from beneath the rollers I, after which the segments 18 having been oscillated beyond their range of paper actuating operation, remain idle in such position while the material continues to advance I the lever l6 which frees the segments from their engagement with the writing material and platen roll, allowing them to return by gravity.

In order that the frictionrollers 'l and segments It! may not, by pressure upon interposed transfer or carbon material, reproduce marks or lines upon underlying copies, the carbon sheets or strips are of less width than the record material as is indicated at 441. in Fig. 5, whereby the arresting holes l2 and longitudinal paths or tracks of the friction feeding elements I and I8 are marginally disposed beyond the edges of the interposed transfer or manifolding material 4a.

In Fig. 6 there is shown a typewriter of different style which is adapted to employ carbon or manifolding material in strip or ribbon form as indicated at 2|. .These strips or ribbons 2| of manifolding material may be superposed one upon the other in any number and are guided about guides or rollers 22 upon the frame of the machine in a direction longitudinally of and adjacent to the platen roll 3. The succeeding ribbons 2| of transfer material are interposed between overlying sheets of record or writing materiali4 in the writing position or impact position of the type bars. In such application of the invention, the arresting holes [2 may be located in any desired positions transversely of the record material and, as shown in Fig. 6, they are located centrally thereof whereby the arresting holes l2 may also be employed for filing purposes in lieu of the holes l2a before re-' ferred to.

Inasmuch as the carbon or transfer ribbons 2|, passing about the guides 22, would interfere with the usual method of actuating the platen roll 3, special actuating means are provided therefor. As illustrated in the drawings, the platen roll in this embodiment of writing machine is provided With a terminal bevel gear 24 with which intermeshes a bevel gear pinion 25 upon a vertically disposed stud mounted upon the typewriter carriage. The pinion stud 26 carries at its upper end a knob '2'! by which the platen roll may be manually rotated. Adjacent to the gear pinion 25 is a ratchet wheel 28 operatively engaged by a pawl 29 upon an oscillatory line spacing lever 30 which is provided with an upwardly projecting arm 3| to be conveniently grasped or struck in order to intermittently advance the platen roll 3. This particular construction of the platen roll actuating mechanism forms no part, per se, of the present invention but is shown and described merely for illustrative purposes. As is shown in Fig. 8 the initial feeding segments l8 coact with the roll 3 in the manner before described and are adjusted into an operative relation therewith by oscillation of the finger lever IS. The friction rollers 1 are carried upon the shaft or rod 8 in a centrally disposed position, which rod 8 is carried by theswinging arms 9 pivoted upon the transverse rod I0 and actuated by the pressure springs H to hold the rollers 1 in frictional engagement with the record material 4 exactly as before described. I

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the char- I acter described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but

which obviously is susceptiblev of -modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the-principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Whilein' order to comply with'the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comof the said pressure roller, the advance of the paper supply under the influence of said additional pressure device terminating automatically at the end of each predetermined operation, said pressure roller being effective for initiating each advance movement, and release means for automatically disengaging the pressure roller when the paper advance has been initiated.

2. The combination with a writing machine, including a rotary platen'and a relatively adjustable pressure roller cooperating therewith to advance a paper supply in unison withthe rotation of the platen, of a paper feeding device for intermittently advancing the paper supply in unison with the rotation of the platen independently of the relatively adjustable pressure roller, and release means for automatically disengaging the pressure roller by the rotation of the platen.

3. The combination with a writing machine having a plurality of feeding devices including a rotary platen and a relatively adjustable pressure roller cooperating therewith to advance a paper supply in unison with the rotation of the platen, said pressure rollers being spaced to marginally engage the paper supply, of a paper feeding device for intermittently advancing the paper supply in unison with the rotation of the platen, said feeding device also marginally engaging the paper supply, and release means automatically disengaging the pressure roller by the rotation of the platen.

4. A typewriting machine, including a rotary platen and a relatively adjustable pressure roller cooperating therewith to advance a paper supply in unison with the rotation of the platen characterized by additional means for intermittently advancing the paper supply in unison with the rotation of the platen independently of the pressureroller and releasing the paper at the end of a predetermined advance movement, said pressure roller being effective to initiate certain advance movements.

5. The combination with a typewriter construction, including a platen roll and a segmental pres sure roller adjustable into and out of operative (i disposed, pressure rollers engaging the record relation therewith to advance a paper supply in I unison with the rotation of the platen when engaged therewith, characterized by a secondpressure device coacting with the platen to advance the paper supply in unison with the platen independently of the operation of the pressure roller, and retracting means for automatically adjusting the pressure roller out of operative relation with the platen when said second pressure device is operative to advance the paper supply.

7. The combination with a typewriter construction, including a platen roll and a'pressure roller adjustable into and out of operative. relation therewith to advance a paper supply in unison with the rotation of the platen when engaged therewith, characterized by a second pressure device coacting with the platen to advance the paper supply in unison with the platen independently of the operation of the pressure roller, said second pressure device being transversely adjustable relative to the platen, said pressure roller and additional pressure device being alternately operative to advance the paper supply.

8. The combination with a typewriter construction, including a platen roll and a segmental pressure roller adjustable into and out of operative relation therewith to advance a paper supply in unison with the rotation of the platen when engaged therewith; characterized by a second pressure device coactlng with the platen .to advance the paper supply in unison with the platen independently of the operation of the pressure roller, and means for automatically disengaging the pressure roller during operative action of the additional pressure device.

-. -9. The combination with a typewriter construction, including a platen roll and a pressure roller adjustable into and out of operative relation therewith to advance a paper supply in unison with the rotation of the platen when engaged therewith, characterized by a second pressure device coacting with the platen to advance the paper supply in unison with the platen independently of succemions of spaced holes and an interleaved" strip of transfer material of less width than the record strips are advanced past a writing posi-' tion, a platen about which said materials are material beyond the margins of the transfer material and coacting with the platen roll to advance the material untilone of said spaced holes is encountered whereupon the advancement of the material is'arrested, andoscillatory pressure segments mounted for bodily movement into and out of engagement'with the record material also beyond the margins of the transfer material to temporarily effect advancement of the said mate:

rials until effective re-engagement of the initial pressure rollers therewith is again established.

11. A. manifolding typewriter, including a platen roll and a pressure device cooperating therewith to advance a plurality of record strips and an interleaved carbon strip in unison with the rotation of the platen, the carbon strip being of less width than the associated record strips, said pressure device being positioned for operative engagement with the marginal? the record strips beyond the margin of the carbon strip, feed arresting means limiting the feeding operation to predetermined lengths of strips, and means for initiating the advance movement of the strips independently of said pressure device.

12. The combination with a writing machine, of paper feeding means therefor, including two independently operable friction feed devices each effective to advance the paper past writing position a predetermined distance, at the limit of which the feeding movement of the paper ceases, the range of feeding movement of the two devices overlapping whereby when one feeding device reaches the end of its effective feeding range the other device will be effective to advance the paper an additional distance. g 13. The combination with a writing machine, including a platen roll of friction feed means cooperating with the platen roll for advancing record material thereabout, including a pivotally mounted oscillatory feeding member co-operating with the platen roll to advance the material a predetermined distance when oscillating about I said pivot, and means for effecting rotation in a reverse direction of the feeding member about the same pivot to a position preparatory tothe succeeding operation.

l4. The combination with a writing machine having a platen roll, of an auxiliary friction feed device pivotally mounted and movable about its pivot into and out of operative relation with theplaten roll to feedrecordmaterial thereabout, -means for adjusting the auxiliary feeding device relative to the platen roll, and means for automatically reversing the rotation of the feeding deviceupon its adjustment away from the platen. 15. The combination with a writing machine having a platen roll, of an auxiliary record material feeding deyice comprising a pivotally mounted oscillatory segmental member movable into and out of operative relation with the platen roll, means for. adjusting theauxiliaryfeeding device relative thereto, and means for automatically reversing the rotation of the'segmental member about said pivot after each feeding operation upon its adjustment away from the platen roll.

' JOHN Q. SHERMAN. 

